Winburn: City failed Mahogany's

Managers of The Banks are now threatening Mahogany's with eviction saying the restaurant is behind on their rent by more than $50,000.

FOX19 has uncovered documents that say developers are threatening to evict Mahogany's, a restaurant and bar located at The Banks.

According to a letter sent by the developer to Mahogany's and to City Council, the restaurant's owner owes more than $50 thousand in back rent, assessments and other charges under its lease.

On Friday, another $2,000 in utility charges will be added on.

The owner of The Banks states that if Mahogany's fails to pay back the entire amount it owes in the next ten days, the landlord will explore all available remedies - including raising the rent, suing or "recovery of the premises."

The developer also states that can take legal action to get the rent money.

Charlie Winburn leads the Finance and Budget Committee for Cincinnati city council. He says although Mahogany's is the one facing thousands of dollars in debt, the city is the one who failed here.

"I think the city has failed Mahogany's," said Winburn. "I think by coming into the big leagues on The Banks and then the city not giving them enough space to really promote her business, I'm not sure the city really, really helped her."

In fact, Winburn says, several businesses on the Banks have seen a rough winter and are facing similar issues. One Banks restaurant manager told FOX19 that business has been down recently.

"I think that the city helped move Mahogany's toward failure by not giving them proper space and then they kind of bait and switched them. They offered so many amenities and incentives and they really backed away from those incentives," says Winburn.

Winburn says he wants to invite all the business owners at The Banks to City Hall. He says he wants to hear their suggestions on how the city can help The Banks be as successful as possible.

Libby Korosec, a spokesperson for The Banks, did not have a comment specifically about Mahogany's.

However, she did say each lease is tailored to each individual tenant. She said they have only one restaurant space left to fill in phase one and they're being selective in their choice for what fills it. She wanted to remind the public the Banks is in its infancy; the market is still defining the place.

Earlier in the month, it was revealed that Mahogany's is also behind in its taxes. The state of Ohio in December secured a judgment against Mahogany's At The Banks LLC for $9,671.48 for sales tax and one for $12,424.04 for workers compensation, according to court documents.